Community school faces closure

——Chimoza Community School in Ndola’s Bwana Mkubwa area might face closure due to financial constraints. This comes after the donor who has been funding the school pulled out in December 2014.

 Chimoza Head Teacher, Nicholas Banda told ZANIS in an interview in Ndola today that the school has appealed to the Ministry of Education to send government teachers to the school to serve the school from being closed permanently.

 Mr. Banda explained that the school which was constructed in 2002 with the donor funds has 13 classrooms which are electrified with a modern ablution block, two boreholes, and one hand water pump with a computer lab to set up an information communication technology lessons.

 “After a long history of financial hardships, the community will not be pleased to have such an education investment infrastructure turning into a white elephant. Efforts have been made by the school authority to the Ministry of Education to assist the school but they have not responded yet to serve the community school,” Mr. Banda said.

 The school which had 593 pupils from baby class to grade nine has seen some pupils dropping out of school because meals that were being provided by the school have been suspended due to lack of funds.

 The Head Teacher further explained that the nearby Katondo basic which is a government school cannot accommodate all the pupils from Chimoza Community school because of the large number.

 He added that the area is also recording high numbers of early marriages as parents feel that they can be supported by marrying off their girl child.

 Mr. Banda stated that girls are being married off as early as 12 years of age as parents opt to benefit from the marriages of the children.

 He said the school introduced a K50 fee per month for each pupil at the school in a bid to sustain it financially but that parents cannot afford because most children are coming from vulnerable families.

 Mr. Banda explained that the donor known as the Q Fund based in United States of America informed them in August 2014 that they were going to stop funding the community school in December 2014 because they had run out of funds.